Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters -
vol. XIII - n. 3 - September 2000
BOOK REVIEWS
NEW WHO BOOKS 2000 REVISED EDITION
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND HEALTH
VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND HEALTH ADVICE
Situation as on 1 January 2000
2000, 108 pages (available in English; French in preparation)
ISBN 92 4 158025 9
Sw. fr. 17 Price: / US $ 15.30
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 11.90
Order no. 1180000 |
This annual guide, updated each
January, issues authoritative advice on the medical and personal precautions needed to
protect the health of international travellers. Addressed to physicians, tourist agencies,
airlines, and shipping companies, the book presents the latest information on general
precautions to be taken by all travellers, health risks specific to different geographical
areas, vaccinations recommended or advised by WHO, and vaccinations legally required for
entry into each of the world's countries. Though the main emphasis is on prevention,
country-specific information on common diseases may also help physicians track the cause
of illnesses acquired abroad.
The first chapter, printed on yellow paper, provides a convenient country-by-country list
of required vaccinations, together with pertinent information on the malaria situation,
for every country in the world. For malaria, epidemiological details are given for all
countries with endemic areas, including notes on geographical and seasonal distribution,
altitude, predominant species, and status of resistance. The recommended chemoprophylactic
regimen is also given for each country with malarious areas.
Further information on geographical risks is provided in the second chapter, which alerts
readers to the main arthropod-borne, food-borne, and water-borne diseases and other health
hazards commonly found in different parts of the world. The next chapter offers advice on
what travellers can do to protect their health while abroad, whether from the risks posed
by contaminated food and water or from disease spread by insect bites. A comprehensive
list of all vaccinations recommended or advised by WHO is presented in the form of a
table, which includes information on the vaccine, lower age limit, number of days before
the vaccine becomes effective, and duration of protection. The chapter also communicates
WHO advice on the immunization of HIV-infected travellers and on the risk of tuberculosis
transmission during air travel.
Malaria
In view of the deteriorating malaria situation,
information on prophylaxis and treatment is especially detailed. Readers are reminded that
protection from biting mosquitos is the first line of defence, that no antimalarial
prophylactic regimen gives complete protection, and that prophylaxis should not
automatically be prescribed for all travellers to malarious areas. Information includes a
checklist for prescribers, an alert to groups where certain drugs are contraindicated,
recommended prophylactic and treatment regimens for commonly used antimalarials, and a
summary of the advice that should be given by prescribers to pregnant women, women of
childbearing potential, and the parents of young children. Further assistance is provided
through a fold-out map summarizing recommended prophylactic regimens by area and a table
indicating doses of antimalarial drugs for children. A section on multidrug resistant
malaria is also included.
THE WORLD HEALTH REPORT 2000
Price: Sw. fr. 15
In developing countries:
Sw. fr. 10.50
ISBN 92 4 156198 X |
The World Health Report 2000 is an
expert analysis of the increasingly important influence of health systems in the daily
lives of people worldwide. To an unprecedented degree it takes account of the role of
people as providers and consumers of health service, as financial contributors to health
systems, as workers within them, and as citizens engaged in their responsible management,
or stewardship.
Health systems provide the critical interface between life-saving, life-enhancing
interventions and the people who need them. If health systems are weak, the power of these
interventions is likewise weakened, or even lost. Health systems thus deserve the highest
priority in any efforts to improve health or ensure that resources are wisely used.
In recent decades, health systems have contributed enormously to better health for most of
the global population. As the new century begins, they have the potential to achieve
further improvements in human wellbeing, especialy for the poor.
But very little has yet been done to unravel the complex factors which explain good or bad
performance by individual health systems. Given equal resources, why do some succeed where
others fail? Is performance simply driven by the laws of supply and demand, or does
another logic apply? Why is dissatisfaction with services so widespread, even in wealthy
countries offering the latest interventions? If systems need improvement, what tools exist
to measure performance and outcomes? These are some of the many questions addressed in
this report. Drawing from a range of experiences and analytical tools, the report traces
the evolution of health systems, explores their diverse characteristics, and uncovers a
unifying framework of shared goals and functions.
Using this as a basis for analysis, the report breaks new ground in presenting an index of
health system performance based on three fundamental goals: improving the level and
distribution of health, enhancing the responsiveness of the system to the legitimate
expectations of the population, and assuring fair financial contributions. As the report
convincingly argues, good performance depends critically on the delivery of high-quality
services. But it relies on more than that. Health systems must also protect citizens from
the financial risks of illness and meet their expectations with dignified care. The report
goes on to show how the achievement of these goals depends on the ability of each system
to carry out four main functions: service provision, resource generation, financing, and
stewardship. Chapters devoted to each function offer new conceptual insights and practical
advice on how to assess performance and achieve improvements with available resources.
In doing so, The World Health Report 2000 aims to stimulate a vigorous debate about better
ways of measuring health system performance and thus finding a successful new direction
for health systems to follow. By shedding new light on what makes health systems behave in
certain ways, WHO also hopes to help policymakers weigh the many complex issues involved,
examine their options, and make wise choices.
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